Cliff Gorman

An unmistakable character player with a prominent chin, a shock of thick, dark hair and eyebrows to match, the explosive Cliff Gorman has typically played tough, loud-mouthed and somewhat sleazy cops...
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Everett Collection
Marginalized communities throughout history have had ways of communicating that are proof of clanship. But did you know the street slang used by queens the world over is at least two centuries old, and that you already know a few words of it?
There is disagreement about the exact origins of the gay ghetto slang known as Polari, but it rose in popularity during the 19th century in London's East End, and shares words with other street vernaculars like Cockney rhyming slang and Yiddsh. The language was common in professions that employed traveling male tradesmen, like the merchant marines and the theater. Gay men adopted it as a way to have sexual conversations safely and in secret.
If you feel ignorant, don't. You're already speaking Polari when you use words like butch, camp, and drag — and if you're paying attention, chicken, cottaging and zhoosh. Theater slang that is part of the lexicon, such as referring to dancers as "hoofers," also comes from Polari.
But if you hear someone say, "Vada the eek on that naff omi-palone," ask your local queen for a translation. And pray they aren't talking about you.
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Earliest TV-movies included "The Trial of the Chicago Seven" (1970) and "Class of '63" (1973)

Made feature film debut in "Justine", directed by George Cukor

Recreated his stage role in William Friedkin's film adaptation of "The Boys in the Band"

Returned to features to play prominent supporting roles in the films, "Night and the City" and "Hoffa"

Succeeded Ron Liebman in the role of Lennie in the Broadway production "Doubles"

Breakthrough stage role as Lenny Bruce in "Lenny"; won Tony Award as Best Actor

Acted onstage in New York in the play, "Hogan's Goat", opposite Faye Dunaway

First TV miniseries, the two-part crime drama, "Doubletake"; also marked the first time he played Detective Sergeant Aaron Greenberg in an ongoing series of TV-movies opposite Richard Crenna

Acted on Broadway in the Neil Simon comedy-drama, "Chapter Two"; received a Tony nomination for Best Featured Actor

Played Joseph Goebbels in the CBS war drama TV-movie, "The Bunker", starring Anthony Hopkins as Adolph Hitler

Had first important stage success Off-Broadway in the landmark comedy-drama, "The Boys in the Band"

Played a leading role in the feature, "Angel", his last film for nine years

Summary

An unmistakable character player with a prominent chin, a shock of thick, dark hair and eyebrows to match, the explosive Cliff Gorman has typically played tough, loud-mouthed and somewhat sleazy cops and crooks, or overly confident and rather obnoxious studs who aren't as attractive as they think. All his characters also seem to have a thick New York accent and an edge no matter the part of the globe in which they toil. After receiving a degree in education from NYU, Gorman worked as a truck and ambulance driver, and was also employed by a collection agency and as a probation officer for young delinquents. He began acting Off-Broadway in the mid-1960s and was part of Jerome Robbins' American Theatre Laboratory from 1966-67.